Yarn feed guide arms

ABSTRACT

A novel machine to produce non-woven fabric which employs an improved weft yarn guide arm to more accurately lay down the weft yarn onto the warp yarns.

United States Patent Darnell et al.

YARN FEED GUIDE ARMS Inventors: Nolan B. Darnell, Spartanburg, S.C.;

Walter Engels, Tryon, N.C. Assignee: Deering Milliken ResearchCorporation, Spartanburg; SC.

Filed: June 18, 1973 Appl. No.: 370,836

US. Cl 28/1 CL; 156/439 Int. Cl D04h 3/05 Field of Search 28/1 CL;156/181, 430,

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS l/l969 Seguin 28/1 CL 51 May 27,1975 3,505,712 4/1970 Servage 28/1 CL 3,638,290 2/1972 Johnson... 28]!CL 3,646,647 3/1972 Klein 28/1 CL Primary ExaminerLouis K. RimrodtAttorney, Agent, or FirmEarle R. Marden; H. William Petry [5 7] ABSTRACTA novel machine to produce non-woven fabric which employs an improvedweft yarn guide arm to more accurately lay down the weft yarn onto thewarp yarns.

1 Claim, 9 Drawing Figures PATENTEB wzmls SHEET 2 OF 4 mgmggM27195 SHEET3 OF 4 YARN FEED GUIDE ARMS It is an object of this invention to providea double weft machine which will more efficiently produce a nonwovenfabric.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become clearlyapparent as the specification proceeds to describe the invention withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. I is an overall schematic view of the new improved machine;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view like FIG. 1 showing the offset relationshipof the weft yarn package support;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the new and improved yarn feed guidetube arrangement;

FIGS. 4 and 5 show blown-up views of the weft yarn guide members mountedon the rotating flyer;

FIG. 6 is a view taken on line 66 of FIG. 3 of the flyer with'the weftyarn guide members removed;

FIG. 7 is a view taken on line 77 of FIG. 3 with the yarn guide membersremoved from the flyer;

FIG. 8 is a view taken on line 8-8 of FIG. 3 showing the flyer hub andflyer connection; and

FIG. 9 is a schematic representation of the weft yarn guides and flyerduring certain points of rotation.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings and in particular toFIGS. 1 and 2. an apparatus is shown for continuously forming non-wovennet fabrics which generally includes a thread winding section 10. a weftsheet forming section 12. a warp and weft sheet combining section I4. asection 16 for securing the sheets in contiguous coplanar relation toform a non-woven net fabric and a creel section 18.

As shown in FIGS. I and 2, thread winding section includes threadwinding means comprising a pair of hollow tubular thread guide arms 20and 21 secured to a hollow central shaft 22 for rotation therewith.Shaft 22 is suitably supported for rotation about its central axis andis rotably driven by motor 24 through endless belt 25 and gear box 26.During rotation of thread guide arms 20 and 2] continuous threads orweft yarns 28 and 30 are continuously passed from the creel section 18and yarn package 32. respectively. through the hollow shaft 22 with yarn28 passing outwardly through guide arm 20 and yarn 30 passing outwardlythrough guide arm 2l through their respective outlets 34.

The weft sheet forming section 12 includes a pair of spaced threadsupport members 36 which supportably receive the threads or weft yarns28 and 30 passing from the outlets 34 of the guide arms 20 and 21 in aplurality of generally parallel thread reaches therebetween. Thre-adsupport members 36 are. preferably, of substantially identicalconstruction and each comprises an elongated helical member or spring 38of high strength. rigid material such as spring steel. If desired. oneof the thread support members 36 may use a double wound helical spring.The elongated helical member 38 is removably mounted in and rotable witha frustoconical collar member 40 which facilitates placement of thethread or yarn in the spaces of the helical members 38 and is connectedto rotably driven stub shaft 42. Stub shaft 42 is rotably mounted on theend of cross arm 44 which is supported by a suitable bearing surroundingthe drive shaft 22. Each thread support member 36 is rotated about itshorizontal axis. -lo facilitate positional support ofthc helical members38. suit ably supported blocks or stop members 46 are positioned beneatheach helical member and abuttingly engage the same to prevent rotationof the cross arm 44 and helical member 38 about the shaft 22 during itsrotation and thereby positionally stabilize the same.

As best seen in FIG. 1 the warp and weft sheet combining sectionincludes a pair of nip rolls 48 and 50 which are rotably supported bysuitable means, not shown, between the free or open ends of the helicalmembers 38. As seen in FIG. 1, as the helical members 38 rotate toadvance the thread or yarn reaches in spaced parallel relationtherealong to form the weft sheet. the thread reaches leaving the openends of the members 38 pass between and are engaged by nip rolls 48 and50. One or more sheets 52 and 54 of warp threads or yarns from the warpbeams 56 and 58. respectively, are supplied continuously to the nipportion of the rolls 48 and 50 from the beams and, during their movementtherethrough, the warp and weft sheets are brought into contiguouscoplanar relation. As shown in FIG. 1 the loop ends of the weft threador yarn reaches are released from the rotating helical members 38 andthe combined sheets pass over a guide roller 60 to the sheet securingsection 16.

The securing section 16 includes an adhesive bath 62 through which thecomposite sheet of warp and weft yarns is passed by rotable squeezerolls 64 and 66 to apply a suitable adhesive thereto. The sheetthereafter passes about the surface of a plurality of heated dryingrolls 68 where the warp and weft yarns are secured together and the thusformed nonwoven net fabric 70 is collected on a take-up roll. Althoughnot shown. one or more of the rolls in the securing section 16 may besuitably driven to move the warp and weft sheets through the apparatus.

Looking again at FIG. 1, the stub shafts 42 and their respective helicalmembers 38 have aligned central passageways through which selvagethreads or yarns 73 from the yarn packages 75,. continuously pass duringformation of the weft sheet to be positioned within the loop ends of theweft thread or yarn reaches as the reaches leave the open ends of thehelical members 38. The selvage threads not only strengthen thecomposite non-woven net fabric product 70 but provide additional supportto the weft sheet during its passage through the securing section 16 ofthe apparatus.

As discussed briefly before, it is desired to run more than one weftstrand so as to provide increased production and efficiency in themanufacture of non-woven fabric. In the preferred form of the inventionthe apparatus is shown running two strands of weft thread or yarn but itis understood that it is contemplated that any number of strands can berun within the scope of the invention. To this end and to reduce theoverall length of the apparatus. the offset creel section 18 isemployed. In conventional types of non-woven fabric producing machinesthe creel section would be located in direct line with the weft yarnlaydown mechanism thus requiring the warp beams to be located beyond thecreel section because of the ballooning of the weft yarn. In FIG. 2 itshould be noted that the creel section 18 is offset from the rest of theapparatus allowing the warp beams 56 and 58 to move closer in toward theweft sheet forming section 12. thereby reducing the amount of floorspace required to erect and operate the apparatus This basically hasbeen accomplished by utilizing a commercially available universal driveshaft transmission 75 between the sprocket 74. driven from the hollowshaft 22. and the shaft 76 to which is attached a sprocket 78 whichtransmits the drive to sprocket 79 via chain 80 to rotate hollow shaft82 to which are attached radial hollow arms 84 and 86.

Creel section 18 is supported on a base plate 88 to which is attached anupright support 90 which rotably supports the hollow shaft 82, slidablysupports the cage members 92 and 94 and the weft package support 96. Theweft package support consists basically ofa pair of plates 98 attachedto the upright support 90 and support the rod 99 therebetween attachedto the L-shaped arm 100. Rotably supported at the end of arm 100 is ashaft 102 to which is fixed a collar member 104 which rotates therewithand has a plurality of radially extending arms 106 to support the weftyarn packages 32. The packages 32 are connected to one another throughthe use of a transfer tail so that when one runs out the next packagewill automatically be unwound. This is accomplished by tying the tail ofone package 32 to lead end of the next adjacent package 32.

In operation continuous weft threads 28 and 30 are supplied from theirrespective packages 108 and 32, respectively, through the hollow shaft22 to hollow guide arms and 21 to wind the threads or yarns about theends of the spaced-apart guide members 36. The threads or yarns 28 andare guided by the frusto-conical member 40 into the spaces between thefirst and second helices of the springs 38. As the outlet ends 34 of theguide arms 20 and 21 pass about the springs 38, the threads or yarns 28and 30 are laid in a plurality of reaches extending therebetweenr Thelooped ends of the yarn engage the springs 38 and the springs arecontinuously rotated to advance the reaches in spaced, generallyparallel relation along the springs to form the weft yarn sheet. As thereaches of the yarn 28 and 30 approach the open ends of the springs,they engage the selvage yarns passing through the center of springs 38and combine with the warp threads 52 and 54 as they pass through niprolls 48 and 50. As previously pointed out, the combined weft and warpthread sheets are then impregnated with a suitable adhesive dried andcured and thereafter collected.

The thread or yarn 30 is delivered from the package 32 to the hollowshaft 22 through the hollow shaft 82 and the rotating hollow arm 84. Thethread or yarn 28 is delivered to the hollow shaft 22 from the package108 through the hollow nose portion 110, hollow shaft 82 and the radialhollow arm 86. To control the balloon configuration of the yarns 28 and30 as they rotate rings 112 and 114 are mounted on the housing of thetransmission 75 by suitable supports 116 and 118.

Looking now to FIGS. 3-9 a modified version of the threading windingsection 10 is shown wherein the tubular thread guide arms 200 and 210are solid, rather than hollow and employ a plurality of thread guides120 of plastic or like material and having a ceramic eyelet 122 for thepassage of yarn therethrough. The guides are secured to the arms 200 and210 by suitable means such as screw 124, on the side of the arms 200 and210 away from the direction of rotation of the flyer. The arms 200 and210 are secured to the hollow shaft 22 by means ofa collar 126 connectedto the circular plate 128 via plate 130 to which the arms 200 and 210are connected.

The arms 200 and 210 are so formed so as to be bent toward the threadsupport members 36 and in a direction away from the direction ofrotation of the arms 200 and 210 (note FIGS. 6 and 7) to provide a laydown pattern of the yarn like that shown in H6. 9 wherein the angles ofbend and inclination are such at positions E, D and C where there ismaximum tension on the yarn being laid down the yarn is in asubstantially straight line configuration from the outlet of the arm tothe thread support member 36. FIG. 9 illustrates only the movement ofone of the arms 200 or 210.

Although we have described in detail the preferred embodiment of ourinvention. we contemplate that many changes may be made withoutdeparting from the scope or spirit of the invention and we desire to belimited only by the claims.

That which is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for producing non-woven fabric comprising: yarn guide meansincluding a first pair of yarn guides spaced from each other. means forsupporting a plurality of yarn packages, rotable yarn guide meansoperably associated with said first pair of yarn guides to supply yarnsimultaneously from each of said yarn package supports and to wind theyarn about said first pair of yarn guides to form reaches therebetween,said rotable yarn guide means including a radially directed yarn guidemember, a portion of said yarn guide member being bent toward the axisof said first yarn guides means for combining a sheet of yarns with theyarn reaches between said first pair of spaced yarn guides to form anon-woven fabric means to rotate said rotable yarn guide means in onedirection and a portion of said radially directed yarn guide member isbent in a direc tion opposite to said direction of rotation of saidrotable yarn guide means.

1. Apparatus for producing non-woven fabric comprising: yarn guide meansincluding a first pair of yarn guides spaced from each other, means forsupporting a plurality of yarn packages, roTable yarn guide meansoperably associated with said first pair of yarn guides to supply yarnsimultaneously from each of said yarn package supports and to wind theyarn about said first pair of yarn guides to form reaches therebetween,said rotable yarn guide means including a radially directed yarn guidemember, a portion of said yarn guide member being bent toward the axisof said first yarn guides means for combining a sheet of yarns with theyarn reaches between said first pair of spaced yarn guides to form anon-woven fabric, means to rotate said rotable yarn guide means in onedirection and a portion of said radially directed yarn guide member isbent in a direction opposite to said direction of rotation of saidrotable yarn guide means.